Yankees Rivalry Roundup: Astros triumphant in Altuve’s return

Another day, another mammoth Aaron Judge blast. His seventh home run in as many games sparked the offense en route to an eventual 6-2 victory in the series opener against the Reds. Eight of their AL rivals also took to the field, so let’s jump right into the action.

Milwaukee Brewers (24-20) 0, Tampa Bay Rays (33-13) 1

Shane McClanahan and Adrian Houser went toe-to-toe in a series matchup between two of the strongest starting staffs in the land. The Rays ace went seven scoreless with seven strikeouts while the Brewers’ righty went six scoreless with four punchouts.

Neither side managed more than a single baserunner in an innings until the Brewers put a pair on in the seventh, but McClanahan slammed the door with a pair of K’s to bring an emphatic end to the frame and his outing. The Rays scored the lone run of the contest in the eighth, with Luke Raley reaching on a leadoff hit by pitch, stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error before coming home on a Francisco Mejía sac fly.

Baltimore Orioles (29-16) 6, Toronto Blue Jays (25-20) 2

The long ball was king in the battle of the birds, with Baltimore scoring all six of their runs by leaving the park. Ryan Mountcastle launched his team into a decisive lead with a three-run blast in the third. Anthony Santander added an insurance run with a leadoff home run in the sixth and Adam Frazier provided his bullpen a four-run cushion in the ninth with a two-run shot.

Kyle Gibson gave the Orioles seven innings of one-run ball, that lone blemish coming in the second when Danny Jansen opened the scoring with an RBI single. Bo Bichette drove in Toronto’s other run with an eighth inning RBI groundout but Toronto continues to struggle scoring as they drop the series opener, 6-2, dropping to fourth in the standings behind the Yankees.

Oakland Athletics (10-36) 1, Houston Astros (25-19) 5

Jose Altuve marked his return from a broken hand with an 0-for-4 night, but the rest of the Houston lineup had little trouble against former Yankee Ken Waldichuk. They opened the scoring in the second with José Abreu scoring from second on an Aledmys Díaz throwing error. Kyle Tucker accounted for their next three runs adding an RBI double in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth.

Alex Bregman wrapped up the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth. The Astros continue to receive production from the next men up in the rotation with some of their regulars injured. Brandon Bielak went five strong striking out nine, holding Oakland to one run on a Shea Langeliers RBI double in the third.

Other Matchups:

Cleveland Guardians (20-24) 9, New York Mets (23-23) 10

A struggling Mets offense has turned to youngsters Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez to inject some life into the lineup, and it appears to be doing the trick. Francisco Lindor went 3-for-6, Baty 2-for-5 with a home run, and Alvarez 2-for-4 with a home run. For Cleveland, Josh Naylor was 3-for-5 with a home run and five driven in.

Cleveland led this one 5-0 after the fifth and and 7-3 after batting in the seventh, but a Pete Alonso grand slam in the bottom of the frame sent this game to extras. Gabriel Arias looked to have won it with a pinch-hit two-run home run in the tenth, but the Mets walked it off with singles from Vientos, Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo, and finally Lindor.

Seattle Mariners (21-23) 2, Atlanta Braves (28-16) 6

A battle of the Bryces saw Seattle’s Bryce Miller pitch 6.1 innings allowing three runs while Atlanta’s Bryce Elder went six innings of two-run ball. Matt Olson was 2-for-4 with a home run and pair of RBIs while Marcell Ozuna was 2-for-4 with three driven in. Seattle scored both their runs in the seventh on RBI singles from Eugenio Suárez and Teoscar Hernández, but Atlanta responded with five unanswered across the next two frames to put this one to bed.

Colorado Rockies (19-26) 2, Texas Rangers (27-17) 7

Texas scored two in the fourth before pouring it on with a five-run fifth to maintain their lead atop the AL West. Corey Seager, Adolis García, and Josh Jung each drove in a pair while Martín Pérez went seven strong giving up two runs against seven strikeouts.

Minnesota Twins (24-21) 4, Los Angeles Angels (24-22) 5

This one featured impressive outings from a pair of young pitchers. Minnesota’s Joe Ryan went six innings giving up three runs against nine strikeouts, but Reid Detmers one-upped him matching a career-high with a dozen strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Mickey Moniak and Hunter Renfroe provided the Angels a pair of 3-for-4 nights as Los Angeles went from 3-0 up to 4-3 down to finally reclaim the lead, 5-4, in the seventh.

Boston Red Sox (25-20) 6, San Diego Padres (20-25) 1

Rafael Devers demolished two home runs and drove in four to go along with a Rob Refsnyder two-run double as the Red Sox pushed across five runs in the third to put this one out of reach early. James Paxton continued to impress in his second start back from almost two years out injured, pitching six innings of one-run ball.